Electric-arc lamp.



No. s9|,s2|. Patented mi. 28, 1902.

u. c. SPINNEY'.

ELECTRIC ABC LAMP.

(Application filed July 20, 1898.]

(No Model.)

\AATHEZESS. Q; Id. W.

D a t AQ UNITED STATES EPATENT OFFICE.

HENRY C. SPINNEY, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEYV YORK.

ELECTRIC-ARC LAM P.

SPECIFICATION frming part of Letters Patent No. 691,821, dated January 28, 1902.

Application filed July 20, 1898. Serial No. 686,411. (No model- To aZZ whom it may concern: just itself, I provide a support which is so Be it known that I, HENRY C. SPINNEY, a arranged that the cap is permitted to move citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, freely up and down within certain limits and in the county of Essex, State of Massachualso laterally for the purpose of adjustment, 55 setts, have invented certain new and useful but is prevented from dropping to a point Improvements in Electric-Arc Lamps, (Case where it will endanger the globe. No. 797,) of which the following is a specifi- My invention has for its object to improve cation. the construction of inclosed-arc lamps; and to In electric-arc lamps having a small cylinthat end it consists in the parts and combina- 6o der or globe surrounding the arc',with clutches tion of parts as herein described and claimed. working directly on the carbon, it has been In the accompanying drawings, which show customary to utilize the cap of the cylinder as an embodiment of my invention, Figure l is a floor for tripping the clutch. This arrangea partial front elevation of a lamp with the mentpresents several advantages, amongothouter globe in section. Figs. 2 and 3 are re- 65 I 5 ers that it permits the lamp to be shortened, spectively a side elevation and plan of the is more economical in the use of carbon, and cap-support and floor for the clutch, and Fig. renders the parts more accessible to the trim- 4 isaperspective view of aslight modification. mer. Vithin certain limits this arrangement Secured in any desirable manner to a fixed is satisfactory; but where cylinders of differportion of the lamp is a fiat substantially cir- 7o ent makes or varying heights are employed cular support or cage A. In the present inthe tripping-point of the clutch is varied, and stance the support is carried by two vertitherefore it is necessary to adjust the lamp cally-extending posts B and B, which are soto a greater or less degree. To overcome the cured to the under side of the lamp-base C. objections and at the same time retain the The center of the support is provided with an 75 advantages above pointed out, I mount the opening K, through which the upper carbon floor of the clutch in such a manner that it is moves in a free and unobstructed manner. situated at or about the height of the cylin- At the lower end of each post is a long screw der-cap, but separate therefrom. B and by substituting screws of different With arc-lamps having detachable caps for length the position of the support or cage A 80 the arc-inclosing cylinders it often happens may be adj ustedas desired, either for the purthat the trimmer will drop the cap as he is pose of regulating the tripping of the clutch trimming the lamp. This is a particularly or for changing the position of the cap. This objectionable feature, for practically each is a desirable feature where adjustments of a time a cap is'dropped it means that a new radical nature aredesired; but for simple ad- 85 outer globe must be supplied to the lamp. ju'stments the freedom of movement permit- It is also objectionable even in lamps withted to the cap D, to be hereinafter described, out outer globes, as it necessitates the trimis sufficient to compensate for changes in the mer descending from his ladder to pick up heights and other irregularities of the differthe cap. These caps due to their proximity ent cylinders. The support is shown rigidly o 40 to the arc get very hot, so that they cannot secured in place by two upwardly-extending be handled without the use of pliers or some lugs A, through which extend the screws B similar device, and it is while handling them but this construction may be varied as dein this manner that they most frequently drop sired. The cylinder;cap D is loosely suspendand break the outer globe. On account of the ed from the under side of the support or cage 95 Variations in'the cylinders it is desirable that A by means-of the hooked lugs A and the these caps shall be so supported that they'are screw A the latter being mounted in an exfree to adjust themselves in a vertical and tension A of the support. The lugs and screw horizontal direction. This is accomplished are so arranged that they support the cap at by permitting the caps to 'rest on the top of three points,,which points are angularly dis- 1o: the cylinder. To prevent the cap from drop placed by one hundred and twenty degrees. ping and at the same time permit it to ad- I have found'this to be a convenient arrangement, for by taking out the screw A the cap may be removed; but any other means for suspending the cap maybe employed. The distance between the under side of the support and the hooked end of the lugs is considerably greater than the thickness of the cap. This is to permit the cap to have a certain freedom of movement in a vertical direction to compensate for the varying heights of the cylinderE. By this arrangement cylinders may be employed which differ materially in their height. A space is left between the cap and its supports to permit the former to have more or less lateral adjustment to compensate for irregular cylinders. The cap when supported in the manner shown has great freedom of movement andwill readily adjust itself with respect to the cylinder and so long as the cylinder is anywhere near the proper size and shape will work in a satisfactory manner.

One decided advantage of the construction shown lies in the fact that the cap does not have to be made special in any particular and also that the cage A maybe applied to lamps already in use.

The cylinder E surrounds the carbons G and G and is secured at its lower end to the lamp-frame II by a suitable clamp or holder F. Normally the cap D rests on the top of the cylinder and is supported thereby, the support or cage A only coming into play when the cylinder is removed.

Surrounding the upper carbon G is a tube I, and carried by the end of the tube is a clutch J of any suitable construction. The one shown is arranged to work directly on the carbon and consists of a pair of pivoted jaws J and J which are united by links J with a collar I, carried by the tube I. The extensions on the jaws J and J are arranged to strike the top of the support A, which constitutes the door of the clutch. As shown the clutch is in its extreme lower position and the I carbon is released. By situating the floor of the clutch at a fixed distance from the base of. the lamp the clutch J will trip at a certain point each time the tube I, which is connected to the lamp-actuating mechanism, drops a certain amount, whereas with the cap itself arranged to act as the floor of the clutch the action is not so definite.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a slight modification of my invention, in which a special cylinder cap is employed having lugs a formed integral therewith. These lugs are provided with holes for the reception of the supporting-screws B, the relation between the parts being such that the cap is free to adjust itself in a vertical direction and also to tilt slightly to compensate for irregular cylinders. Supported by shoulders formed on the screws B is a flat plate A, having a central opening K for the carbon, which acts asthe floor of the clutch. This plate is preferably fixed with respect to the bottom of the lamp; but, if desired, it may be capable of movement toward the lamp-base, the chief This permits the plate to rock slightly on a I horizontal axis for the purpose of adjustment and also permits one side of the plate to move slightly in a Vertical direction. This arrangement constitutes, in effect, a support having a universal movement.

I understand that I am not the first to make a floor for a carbon-clutch which is located at a fixed point with respect to the lamp; but in all of the lamps with which I am familiar the clutch-floors are located at or near the base of the lamp or else the cylinder-cap is utilized to act as the floor of the clutch. For certain purposes the former arrangement may be employed; but it is not so economical in the use of carbon, as the piece remaining in the'lamp is not long enough to use as an upper carbon, and it is too long to use as a lower carbon. With the clutch having a fixed floor and working at a point below the base and near the cylinder-cap I am enabled to materially shorten the lamp, to economize in the use of carbon, and to utilize the remaining piece of the upper carbon, when retrimming, as the lower carbon, and this without changing its length.

I believe that it is broadly new with me in connection with an inclosed-arc lamp to suspend the cylinder-cap in such a manner that while it is free to adjust itself with respect to the cylinder to compensate for irregularities therein it is prevented from dropping from the lamp when for any reason the cylinder is removed.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination of a globe or cylinder which incloses the carbons, a cap which rests on the top of the cylinder and prevents the free entrance of air into the cylinder, and a cage or support for the cap which is normally out of use, but

which retains the cap at or near its normal position when the cylinder is removed.

2. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination of a globe or cylinder which incloses the carbons,a cylinder which surrounds the carbons, a cap supported by the cylinder during the normal operation of the lamp, acage or support normally idle, in which the cap is loosely mounted, but so arranged that it will prevent the cap from falling when the cylinder is removed, and means for suspending the cage or support'from a fixed part of the lamp.

3. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination of a cylinder which surrounds the carbons, a

cap which rests on the top of Y the Cylinder, a

' cage surrounding the'cap and preventing it A of a cylinder which incloses the arc, a cap arranged to rest on the cylinder and be sup-. ported" thereby under normal conditions,.a

from falling, the said cage being provided vwith downwardly-extending lugs which support the cap at more than one point.

1 4:. In an electric-arc lamp, the combination cagev for retaining the cap within the lamp when the cylinder has been removed, the said cage being provided on it's under side with,

means for supporting thecap at three points;

5. As an article of manufacture, a support or cage for a cylinder-cap, comprising a metal body having lugs for securing it to the lampframe, hooked lugs for gripping the cap, and

i i p a detachable support permitting the removal of the cap.

6. In an arc-lamp, the combination of a cyl- 8. In an arc-lamp, the combination of a combined capsupport and fioor for a clutch, means for maintaining it at a fixed distance fromthe lamp mechanism, and means for permitting the support to have practically a universal motion for the purpose of adjustment.

9. In an arc-lamp, the combination of a combined cap-support and floor fora clutch, a screw-threaded support for holding the cap-support in place, anupWardly-extending lug forming the support through which the screw-threaded support extends, and means permitting the cap to adjust itself, but preventing it from falling out of the lamp.

10. As an article of manufacture, a support for acylinder-cap, comprising a flat metal plate having a pair of upwardly-extending supporting-lugs, and a pair of downwardlyextending lugs for retaining the cap.

11. As an article of manufacture, a cylinder-cap, comprising two parallel fiat cylindrical flanges one of less diameter than the other connected by a hub, one of the flanges being provided with an extension for supporting the cap. I

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of July, 1898.

v HENRY C. SPINNEY.

Witnesses: DUGALD .lVIOKILLOP,

JOHN MCMANUS. 

